You are here »Home»News»The European Green Deal will not be sustainable if it is not fair

The European Green Deal will not be sustainable if it is not fair

(Brussels, 12 December 2019) The Fair Trade movement welcomes the European Green Deal unveiled yesterday by the European Commission President – but calls for small farmers and workers in the Global South to be included as equal partners in a “just and inclusive” transition to more sustainable consumption and production.

“The drivers of inequality and climate change are intrinsically linked, as are the solutions,” said Sergi Corbalán, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office. “As the Fair Trade movement has warned during the current UN talks in Madrid, climate change exacerbates the poverty and vulnerability of small scale farmers and workers. Fairer value chains, on the other hand, can help to achieve social, ecological and financial sustainability.”

“We also applaud the “Farm to Fork” strategy to improve the position of farmers in the value chains”, he said. “But it is regrettable that the Commission only acknowledges that ‘European farmers and fishermen are key to managing the transition’ – ignoring the important role of non-EU farmers who grow and supply food consumed in Europe. Paying fair prices to producers, wherever they are based, is a prerequisite for a sustainable and fair food supply.”

The Fair Trade movement sees in the proposal for the EU “Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument” to support private investment in the Global South an opportunity for prioritizing business models designed to achieve social and environmental objectives, such as Fair Trade enterprises and cooperatives, rather than businesses that value profit maximisation at the expense of people and planet.

Among other measures announced in the European Green Deal, the Fair Trade movement welcomes the commitment to promote, via regulatory and non-regulatory measures, imported products and value chains that do not involve deforestation and forest degradation, while urging the Commission to include fair prices and living incomes for farmers as key elements of these measures.

“Finally, we call upon the Commission to implement a coordinated strategy across EU policy areas to promote not only green, but sustainable public procurement – as laid down in the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Corbalán added.

ENDS

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) speaks out for Fair Trade and Trade Justice with the aim to improve the livelihoods of marginalised producers and workers in the South. The FTAO is a joint initiative of Fairtrade International, the World Fair Trade Organization-Global and the World Fair Trade Organization-Europe.

This website has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of FTAO and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

The FTAO is a joint initiative of Fairtrade International, the World Fair Trade Organization and the World Fair Trade Organization-Europe.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok